Since it was Easter recently, it got me
thinking about suffering and how much Jesus had to go through. First of all, (and most obviously) he had to experience
crucifixion. Not only that, but he was betrayed by one of his own followers,
rejected by his own people and denied by one of his best friends. If this isn’t
an example of suffering, I don’t know what is. I don’t know if I would be able
to handle one of my close friends betraying me, let alone being put on trial
and consequently being killed for my beliefs.
Since Jesus is the center of Christianity, his suffering puts the
concept of the suffering of believers at the center of Christianity. Suffering is the most common human experience.
What is unique about Christianity is how believers respond to suffering. The main belief among Christians is that
people should embrace suffering because it shows them what values are the most
important in their lives, and it allows them to become fully human.
Since suffering is such an important
concept in Christianity, it seems like you can’t be fully Christian until you
experience your own suffering. You are
part of the faith because you believe and follow all of the religious
practices, but your faith isn’t completely authentic yet because it has not
been put to the test. Oftentimes, we hear stories about Christians in third
world countries who are literally being hunted down and massacred for their
faith. All of these terrible and unmentionable things are happening to their
friends and family members, and yet people still continue to practice
Christianity. This is the epitome of suffering in today’s world. Usually, when
we envision suffering in terms of Christianity, this is what we think of. Obviously,
this is not the only way to suffer. People suffer from many things such as the
loss of a loved one, sickness, loss of a job or a house, and for numerous other
reasons. It is how they deal with these
crises that define the rest of their lives. For many Christians, suffering
strengthens their faith and brings them closer to God.
Currently, I have not faced any true
suffering. The worst thing that I am
going through right now is trying to finish everything that needs to be done
before the end of the semester. Does this mean that I am not fully a Christian?
Or will I not become one until I have truly suffered? It is something that I
have been questioning. I think that some people would say that I do need to
suffer before I can completely and truly embrace Christianity. Also, what about
the people who live their whole lives relatively free of suffering? Are they
not considered to be fully Christian because they did not experience a
traumatic event that changed the way they viewed life?
